1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fuel tank mounted on a vehicle, and a fuel tank mounting structure.
2. Description of Related Art
A fuel tank made of a resin (herein below, referred to as a resin fuel tank) is used as a fuel tank for an automobile.
However, a resin fuel tank is easily deformed in association with changes in outdoor air temperature. Therefore, there has been a possibility that durability of a fuel tank is deteriorated due to repeated deformation. Deformation of a fuel tank could also cause displacement of a built-in part, which could interfere with fuel supply when negative pressure is applied.
Therefore, means for restraining deformation is provided in a resin fuel tank. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-530013 (JP 2012-530013 A) proposes that a reinforcing member is provided outside a fuel tank so as to restrain deformation of the resin fuel tank.
However, when a reinforcing member is provided outside a fuel tank to restrain deformation of the resin fuel tank like the technology described in JP 2012-530013 A, a large space is required for installing a fuel tank, which creates a possibility of lowering a degree of freedom in designing a vehicle.